Serena Williams admits she has work to do after surviving a scare to beat Vitalia Diatchenko in the French Open first round. Williams, 37, looked rusty in the opening set before finding her range to dominate the world number 83.
The 23-time Grand Slam winner took 12 of the next 13 games after losing the opening set to record a 2-6 6-1 6-0 triumph at Roland Garros. It was the Florida resident’s 800th career main draw victory but she will need to raise her level to have any chance of lifting the trophy.
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After the contest, Williams admitted that things could have gone better and now hopes to put it right before her second-round match. “There is always a lot fear for a first-round match,” she said. “I made lots of mistakes in the first set and I just said ‘good luck, Serena’.
“I was strong after that. Now I feel like I need to go and practice.” Williams will face either Japan’s Kurumi Nara or Dalila Jakupovic of Slovenia in her next match.
